


Brave

by bilgegungoren00



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Disneyland, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Haunted House, Humans AU, Light Angst, Panic Attack, but hey i liked the idea, i honestly don't know where this came from, so I went with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 21:04:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13279857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bilgegungoren00/pseuds/bilgegungoren00
Summary: But of course, everyone was bound to end up alone once or twice throughout the day, and as it turned out, she ended up being the “outsider” at the haunted house. That wasn’t even the worst part, though. She was shoved in with a stranger, as the line was too long for her to sit by herself.Or, in which Kara comforts the stranger sitting next to her when he has a panic attack in the haunted house.





	Brave

**Author's Note:**

> okay, so, first of all, i know there are other stories that i have to write but i'm not, but this idea popped into my head out of nowhere and i just HAD TO write it. it seems like my brain short-circuits during exam weeks and i don't end up doing the things i should be doing and instead i kind of jump around from one random stuff to another - when i'm not studying. that also explains the new one-shot i literally JUST started writing...oops. 
> 
> but ANYWAY, at least no one can say that i'm not writing during exam weeks! even though i totally shouldn't and it'll totally be my fault if i fail my exam. but whatever. who cares? lol. 
> 
> i feel like that attitude will bite me in the back later but...who cares?
> 
> anyway, i hope you like this!
> 
> \- TRIGGER WARNING - this story includes a panic attack, and while it's not described very detailedly, i just felt like i should put this here just in case.

Kara liked her group of friends. She really did. Her sister Alex, who’d always been there for her when she needed it; Alex’s girlfriend Maggie, who filled Alex’s life with happiness and therefore got Kara’s seal of approval without a thought; Lena Luthor, who seemed cold and calculated from outside but turned out to be the sweetest, kindest person when you actually got to know her; and Samantha Arias, who was a new addition to the group but just as friendly nonetheless. She especially loved the times the five of them got to spend together, since those were so rare. All of them had their own jobs and personal lives and problems, and rarely had a full day to themselves.

That was why Kara was absolutely on cloud nine when they managed to spare an entire day for a trip to Disneyland. Yet there was one thing she didn’t think about: they were five people…and most rides were with two-people carts. And Kara absolutely hated sitting alone, or worse, with strangers, on a ride.

But of course, everyone was bound to end up alone once or twice throughout the day, and as it turned out, she ended up being the “outsider” at the haunted house. That wasn’t even the worst part, though. She was shoved in with a stranger, as the line was too long for her to sit by herself.

She tried not to be affected by that. She came here to have fun, she loved haunted houses, and she could just ignore the stranger’s presence, right? It was a mutual agreement on these rides to ignore each other if you didn’t know each other. There was no reason to stress about it.

That was what she was thinking as the cart carried them inside the dark house, just looking absentmindedly into the darkness, until she heard a sharp inhale. Her curiosity got the better of her as she found herself sneaking a glance at the stranger.

Was it the lights, or did he look pale as paper?

_Oh no,_ she couldn’t help thinking. _Please don’t tell me I’m sitting next to a screaming wuss._ One thing she hated about haunted houses was screaming people. It ruined the whole thing for her. She expected him to scream, too, especially as a ghost-like thing jumped in front of them with a squeal, but he…he only jumped slightly, grabbing the railings of the cart. Kara wondered whether he was breathing at all—wait, he _was_. But they were short breaths, sporadic, almost as if he was choking on something. He was also shaking—badly, and his head was bowed forward as if he was feeling dizzy. Kara knew it was impossible, but she almost felt like she could hear his heartbeat.

It didn’t take her long to identify what it was. A panic attack. The guy was having a _panic attack_ next to her.

All her negative attitude melted away at the realization. She’d had a panic attack in her life—only once, caused by claustrophobia—but even that was enough for her to know just how _serious_ and _scary_ they could be. She knew she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t interact with the guy, but at this point… There was no way she could let him go through this alone. It would only get worse, considering all the scary things that were already bound to jump at them here.

“Hey,” she said as loudly as she dared not to scare him off even more, but to also make sure he heard her. She tried to calm her voice down—panicking at this point would only make his situation worse. “Hey, I’m here. Can you hear me? I’m here with you.”

She tried to rack up her brain to try and find anything— _anything_ —that she remembered about panic attacks. No saying things like “relax” or “calm down”. Breathing exercises. No touching—unless they ask you to. Trying to get them to focus on something else. But most of all…seeming confident and calm. She needed to make him believe there was nothing wrong, and she couldn’t do that if she didn’t stay calm.

She saw him nod barely, struggling to breathe, a painful groan escaping her lips. His eyes were shut tightly, which was probably good. Kara shut out all outer stimuli to focus on him, not caring about the haunted house at all. How long was it? Two minutes? Three? She remembered it being long—that was why it was so scary—but hopefully it wouldn’t be too long for him. He just needed to hold on.

“Good. My name is Kara. Kara Danvers.” She bit her lip to stop her voice from quivering. “Can you tell me your name?” She waited patiently, two seconds, three seconds, ten, ignoring the crow that passed overhead. Finally, he answered.

“Mon-El.” His voice was low—so low, yet she still managed to hear him. She smiled.

“Mon-El. That’s a good name. It’s nice to meet you.” He laughed, or at least tried to laugh. It quickly turned into a whimper.

“Kara, I ca-can’t breathe,” he choked out. “It hurts… I can’t… It…”

“It’s okay,” she said softly, smiling to calm down. “There’s nothing to be scared of, Mon-El. Nothing here can hurt you.” She leaned forward to look at his face, seeing the sweat dotting his forehead. He looked…bad. Damn, did these things have an emergency button or something? She really should’ve listened to the instructions, didn’t she?

“Focus on my voice. Let’s breathe in and out together, okay? I’ll count. Can you nod for me?” She continued only when she saw him confirm. “Breathe in. One, two, three. Breathe out. One, two, three. Why don’t you tell me about your favorite movie in the meanwhile? Breathe in. Breathe out. What’s its name?”

She heard him breathe in and out, more steadily than before even though it was still fast, before he answered. “Titanic,” he whispered as he leaned forward to press his hand on the cold railing. Kara chuckled lightly at the answer to ease the air.

“A classic. You know, it might be sappy, but I always cry at the end when Rose and Jack reunite. It just makes me believe in love. What’s your favorite scene?” He didn’t say anything for a while, only scrunching up his face, so much so that she had to continue. “You can tell me. You’re not in danger. You’re safe and you’re with me. Just breathe. You can talk.” He nodded and gulped audibly. Three seconds later he was talking.

“It’s when…when Jake teaches Rose to…spit outside the ship.” He lifted his head—barely, but he did, even though his eyes were still closed. He gulped several times before he continued. “It felt like the first time she felt truly happy, human, and I…I liked that.” Kara smiled at him as she leaned forward to get a better look at his face.

“That’s so sweet. I’ll be honest, that scene made me laugh all the time.” Kara’s knee briefly brushed Mon-El’s, and he almost inadvertently turned to her, his eyes creeping open. She could just now see just how tear-strained they were, how pale his face really was and how he still couldn’t stop shaking. Biting back her fear and panic, she offered him a smile. “Hey, look. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

His eyes shone with that for a couple of seconds, with the realization that he truly wasn’t alone…until he grimaced. He closed his eyes and gulped, his breath quickening all over again. “I’m sorry,” he managed to utter out in a quiet voice. _Sorry?_ Kara arched her brow in confusion. “I’m so…weak. I thought I could handle… I ruined this for you.”

_Oh no._ Kara realized what she was thinking only then.

“I ruin everything. I—“

“Hey, no, don’t think like that,” she stopped him before he could get far. Damn, how long exactly was this ride? The creepy music, sudden noises and flashes of light, and darkness certainly couldn’t be helping Mon-El.

“I’m sorry. I’m a coward. I’m—“

“Mon-El—“ Kara saw that he was falling right back into the panic attack, considering how his breathing had quickened. All her efforts to get him out of it seemed to have failed.

“You shouldn’t have been here with me.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Hey.” She leaned forward enough to make her presence known to him, hoping to at least show that he wasn’t alone. She put her hand lightly on his. “I’m here.”

She half expected him to push her away—at the end, she _was_ a stranger to him. But instead… He turned his hand to hold hers, leaning to her side, burying his face to her shoulder. “I can’t breathe,” he whispered again. “I can’t—“

“You’re going to be okay,” Kara promised him, cutting her words, moving her fingers up and down. She looked in front of the car, to the now lessening darkness, hoping that meant the ride was about to end. She focused back on Mon-El. “How about you tell me about Titanic? I watched it years ago; my memory might be a bit rusty. Just breathe and start whenever you’re ready. We’ll be out of here before you even realize it.”

Kara felt him try to steady his breath, hoping that he managed to hone his focus, before he started speaking. His voice was soft in the beginning, quiet, as if he was unsure. He was still shaking from time to time, although he seemed to be able to keep it together now. He spoke—and she listened. Occasionally she made confirmatory sounds to let him know that she was listening, but other than that she didn’t interrupt him, letting him pull his thoughts together, letting him talk to focus on anything other than his panic attack.

He was halfway through the movie when the ride finally ended, and Kara saw them approaching the exit. She smiled. “Mon-El, we came,” she told him. “We’re out. See, you’re safe. Nothing happened.” Yet he didn’t move. “Mon-El?”

She only realized he was talking when he repeated himself. “I don’t want to look.” She arched her brow in surprise, opening her mouth to point out that there was no reason why he shouldn’t—but then she stopped. Mon-El had his panic attack on the ride, a very dark and claustrophobic place. While it was also possible that he wasn’t triggered by those, there was a good chance that he was, and that might indicate… He’d experienced something like that before. Maybe in a very unpleasant way. The last thing he needed was for someone to force him to face something before he felt ready now.

“That’s good. That’s okay. We can walk out together. You stay there.” She pushed open their safety belt and gestured him to stand up. “But I need you to stand up.” She immediately wrapped her arm around his waist to steady him as he held onto her shoulders, and she helped him out of the cart to the floor.

If you asked her what happened next, she…wouldn’t exactly be able to say. She remembered her friends rushing to her side the moment she exited the cart, and she could barely stop them before they spooked Mon-El any more than he already was. She remembered Lena rushing to get water, Alex carrying her bag, and Samantha rushing outside to find a quiet bank for them to sit on. She remembered Mon-El’s friends coming, and Maggie quietly pulling them to the side to explain what happened—as well as she understood, at least. Kara could only mutter a _panic attack_ to her friends before they all started rushing around.

Yet she _did_ remember exactly when Mon-El managed to open his eyes and actually lift his head, after sitting down on the bench, to find only Kara by his side. She didn’t know why, but she felt that it would’ve been better if they were alone, even without his own friends. She remembered when she’d had her panic attack. It took her a long time to gather the courage to speak with her closest friends and family, but with the colleague, whom she didn’t know well at all, that found her, she had easily talked about what happened. Sometimes… It was easier to talk about personal stuff with someone you didn’t have a personal connection with.

Kara smiled at Mon-El when their gazes met, extending him a bottle of water and a box of tissues. “I thought you might need these.” He blinked at the items for a couple of seconds. His eyes were still glassy, but at least they seemed lucid now. As if he was aware of his surroundings—of himself. He took the water and tissues, murmuring a quiet thank you.

“Feeling better?” Kara asked after letting him take a couple of sips from the bottle. His eyes darted to her briefly—and then to the ground.

“Yeah. I…” He shut his eyes and shook his head. “Not that it matters _now,_ after creating all that mess.”

“You didn’t create a mess, Mon-El—“ she tried to say, but he didn’t even listen.

“I thought I had it under control. I thought I would be strong enough to handle it, to not…to not have a…panic attack…but I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Kara rushed out, even as something in his words hit her hard. _I thought I would be strong enough to handle it…_ That must’ve meant that it wasn’t just an out-of-nowhere panic attack. Something had triggered it. The darkness, claustrophobia, flashing lights… She didn’t know what it was, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it was about his past. “You can’t control a panic attack. It wasn’t as if you willingly had it.”

“But I—“

_“Mon-El,”_ she said, reaching forward to put a hand on his arm. There was a hopeless glint in his eyes when he looked up. She offered him a small but encouraging smile. “I _know,_ ” she said, emphasizing the word enough that he’d know she wasn’t saying it just for comfort. She said it because she truly understood him.

He blinked several times, trying to make sure whether she was being honest or not, but then his shoulders relaxed. The tears that he must be holding back welled up in his eyes, and one of them even slid down his cheek. Kara felt her heart crack. _Has he never had someone who’d understand a panic attack?_ she couldn’t help thinking. _Was he always judged for it?_

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked when he stayed silent. His eyes snapped up at her in surprise. “You don’t have to if you don’t want it, but… Sometimes, it’s easier to talk to a stranger than a friend. I’m just saying that I’m here to listen…if you want it.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, and all Kara could think was that at least he didn’t outright refuse. He spoke only some time later—after he turned away again, as if he couldn’t look at her in the eyes while saying whatever he needed to say.

“My parents used to lock me up in this…in this small, dark closet whenever I did something they didn’t like,” he started, his voice uncannily level considering the severity of his words. Kara only gasped quietly, biting her tongue to keep herself from interrupting Mon-El. He seemed okay with it…and maybe that was the worst part. He seemed okay with what his parents did, despite it being sickeningly wrong. “Sometimes for a day, and I’d… I’d never know when they’d let me out. If they’d even let me out.”

“Mon-El…” she couldn’t help whispering, but he shook his head before he continued.

“I’m okay now. My aunt figured out what was happening when I was twelve and saved me, and…and I went to therapy, too. I didn’t have a panic attack for years. But…I’d been avoiding dark or claustrophobic situations…”

“Until today,” Kara finished his words. He nodded, rubbing his hands together as if he felt cold. He shook his head and bit down on his lips.

“My friends dared me to,” he explained quietly, so much so that Kara had to lean in to hear him. “They didn’t know about my past, they weren’t listening when I tried to say I didn’t like horror attractions, and… I didn’t want to seem like a coward. I thought I could handle it. I thought I was over it by now.” He leaned back on the bench and laughed humorlessly. “Apparently I’m just a coward, as they claimed.”

_You aren’t,_ Kara wanted to say, just to erase the desperate look on his face. _You are so brave, Mon-El; you don’t even realize it. Going through what you did and surviving…_ But she was too shocked to speak. She could only stare at him, her heart aching for this stranger that went through hell and back and was still apologizing for his behavior. Gosh, it was his parents that should be apologizing. His friends. Anyone…but him.

“It’s okay if you think the same,” he whispered when she stayed quiet. She snapped out of her thoughts then and shook her head.

“No, that’s not… That’s not why I was staying silent.” She quickly wiped away the tears that filled her eyes before he could see them. “I don’t think that. I think…you’re brave, Mon-El. I think that not everyone could’ve gone through what you did and survived.” Surprise twinkled in his eyes when he finally turned to her, and maybe that was the saddest part of this whole situation. She offered him a small smile. “And I think your friends would see that, too, if you talked to them. If they don’t, they were never your friends at all. You don’t have to put yourself in _haunting_ situations if you don’t want it.” He chuckled lightly at her pun before he nodded, relief visible on his face.

“Thank you,” he said, and he didn’t accept it when she tried to shrug it off. “I mean it, Kara. Not everyone would’ve helped me the way you did. You actually helped me through it.”

“Your gratitude is accepted,” Kara said with a hint of mischief, just to lighten the mood, before she straightened up her back. She playfully bumped her shoulder to his. “Now, how about we get some coffee before I hand you over to your friends?”

Mon-El’s eyes shone happily. “Lead the way, Miss Danvers,” he said as he stood up, not realizing that one reason Kara asked for that coffee was so that she could write her phone number on the coffee cup with a small note: _If you need someone to talk to…_

Yet he must’ve realized what it meant after they separated, as one week later, as she was lying in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn, Kara got a text message from an unknown number.

_I told my friends. You were right._

_Thank you._

She didn’t need him to even tell his name for her to know who he was. She quickly texted him back.

**Well, I think that deserves a celebratory coffee.**

_It’s a date, then._


End file.
